Steam iron



'J n- 11, 1944. E. P. SCHREYER STEAM IRON Filed Aug. 2, 1940 2Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY.

Jan. 11, 1944'. E. P. SCHREYER 2,338,739

' STEAM IRON I Filed Aug.'2,v1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l I I 25 1 Q NOR a" Mpi 4, 3 9' fi Patented Jan. 11, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE STEAMIRON Edward P. Schreyer, Milwaukee, Wis. Application August 2, 1940,Serial No. 330,031 Claims. (01. 33- 77) This invention relates toimprovements in steam irons.

In that class of steam iron adapted for household use wherein the steamis generated in a water reservoir in the body of the iron and whereinthe same heating element supplies heat simultaneously to the base plateand also to the water in the reservoir, troubles have been encounteredin maintaining a proper balance between the sole plate temperature andthe amount of steam generated in the' water reservoir. Troubles havealso been encountered in preventing damage to the iron in cases wherethe current is carelessly left on after the water is exhausted. Inaddition, it is highly desirable that a steam iron be suitable for dryironing as well as for steam pressing, and this involves the delivery ofproper heat from the element to both the reservoir and to the base plateand suitable for a variety of fabrics both when there is water in thereservoir and when there is no such water. It is recognized thatthermostats have heretofore been suggested for use in controlling thetemperature of the body of an iron where steam is delivered to the ironfrom an outside source. It has not, however, as far as I am aware,heretofore been proposed to utilize a thermostat in an iron wherein thesteam is generated in the iron itself and wherein a single heatingelement controlled by said thermostat is utilized to simultaneouslygenerate a suitable amount of steam and maintain a proper sole platetemperature.

It is therefore one of the objects of the present invention to provide athermostatically controlled household steam iron having a waterreservoir in the iron itself wherein a single heating element isutilized to simultaneously heat the sole plate and the water in thereservoir and wherein said element'is thermostatically controlled in anovel manner to maintain suitable and safe sole plate and watertemperatures.

A further object is to. provide as one adaptation of the invention aniron which can be used for both dry ironing and for steam pressingwherein the single heating element is so controlled as to deliver properheat to both the reservoir and the sole plate, which heat is suitablefor a variety of fabrics both when there is water in the reservoir andwhen there is no such tainer bottom wherein the amount of contactbetween the sole plate and container bottom is balanced by insulatingmeans above the heating element so that the correct amount of steam willbe delivered from thewater reservoir for any selected sole platetemperature at which the thermostat is set, whereby the proper balanceis obtained between the temperature of the sole plate and the amount ofsteam delivered to meet the requirements of difierent types of fabric.

A further object of the invention is to provide in a steam iron having awater container formed with a bottom and having a sole plate secured tosaid container bottom with a heating element and fibrous pressure platebetween said container bottom and sole plate, means such as corrugationsor the like on the bottom of the water container to provide depressionsinto which portions of the pressure plate may be pressed duringassembly, whereby a tight and leakproof fit may be obtained between thebase plate and the bottom of the water container regardless of perfectaccuracy in the milling of said parts.

A further object of the invention is to provide in a steam iron having awater container provided with a hollowed cover, transverse ribsdeparting from said cover'andadapted to bear on the top of metal wool orthe like within the iron whereby water which might surge over the top ofsaid metal wool will be prevented by the ribs from entering the steamoutlet pipe.

A further object of the invention is to provide an. iron wherein thereis a metal pressure plate secured to the top of the sole plate above theheating element to press said heating element into intimate contact withthe sole plate and wherein there is an air space between the top of thepressure plate and the bottom of the water container serving asinsulation, whereby it is unnecessary to utilize an asbestos pressureplate with the attendant difiiculties of obtaining a proper fit betweenthe sole plate and bottom of the water container.

Withthe above and other objects in view, the invention consists of theimproved steam iron and all its parts and combinations as set forth inthe claims, and all equivalents thereof.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating two embodiments of theinvention, in which the same reference numerals designate the same partsin all of the views:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through one form of the improvediron;

Fig, 2 is a view looking at the bottom of the iron with the sole plateremoved;

Fig. 3 is a view looking at the lower side of the cover for the watercontainer;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 4--4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view through another form or ironsuitable for both dry ironing and steam pressing;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the sole plate alone, part of one of thepressure plates being broken away; and i Fig. 7 is a view on anexaggerated scale taken on line 'l1 of Fig. 5.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 to 4 of the drawings, the numeral8 designates a water reservoir forming the main body of the iron, whichreservoir has a top opening 9. A cover I is formed with a dishedinterior as at H, and the front of the cover stands upwardly as at I2 toprovide a support for one end of the handle l3. The portion l2 of thecover is recessed as at l4 to form a steam dome in the front of theiron.

A rear handle bracket l has its lower end secured to the rear of thecover as at l8, and has its upper end secured to the rear of the handleby a bolt H which extends entirely through the handle to simultaneouslyconnect the front of the handle to the cover extension l2.

The cover is connected to the top of the container by bolts l8 on eachside which extend through holes IS in the cover into tapped openings 20formed in projections 2| on the inside of the casting, there being agasket 22 between the cover and the top of the water container.

The bottom of the water container is recessed as at 23, and threadedinto said recess is a cap screw 24 which also threads into the baseplate 25 as at 28 to secure the forward-portion of the base plate to thebottom of the water container. The cap screw has a longitudinal duct 21therein, and projecting from the upper end of said duct up into thesteam dome i4 is a steam pipe 28. Steam generated from water in thewater container 8 will pass into the upper end of the pipe 28, into thecap screw duct 21, out of said duct through openings 29, into the recess23, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. l. Inasmuch as the recess 23overlaps the steam channel 30 of the base plate, the steam will passinto said channel and out through the bottom of the base plate by way ofsteam perforations 3| which communicate with the channel 30.

The iron is adapted to be filled with water through an opening 32, whichopening has a suitable closure, and said opening is at such a level thatwhen water runs out of the opening 32 there is a proper level within theiron as indicated by the water level line 33. i

In the forward portion of the iron is a rearwardly inclined baiile 34extending transversely across the iron. ,The top 35 of the baflleterminates short of the top of the water container but well above thewater level 33. Thus when the container is being filled with water thebattle will prevent said water from entering the forward portion of saidiron with the possibility of splashing into the top of the steam pipe28.

It is preferred to utilize aluminum for the water container, cover andbase plate, and aluminum wool 38 substantially fills the entire watercontainer. In order to eliminate the necessity of packing the dishedportion ll of the cover It! with wool, said portion is provided withtransverse ribs 31 which press against the top of the aluminum wool whenthe cover is in place. The

aluminum wool prevents undesirable sloshing of water into the steam domel4; and any water in the rear portion of the iron which might surgeabove the metal wool will be stopped by the cover ribs 31.

Wires 38 leading from a source of current are connected with a twosection heating element 39 positioned in a recess 40 on top of the soleplate. Above the heating element is an asbestos pressure plate 4| which,when the base plate is tightenedto the bottom of the water container bythe cap screw 24 and by rear bolt 42, fills the space between theheating element and the bottom of the water container and presses theheating element into intimate contact with the top of the sole plate.

In making said connection between the sole plate and the bottom of thewater container there would normally be trouble encountered in making asuitable fit at the edges unless the cooperating parts had been milledwith perfect accuracy.

However, by providing corrugations 43, or other projections on thebottom of the water container with recesses 44 therebetween, the top ofthe asbestos pressure plate 4| can be squeezed into the depressions 44if there are any inaccuracies in the castings or in the fit, tocompensate for said inaccuracies. In addition the groove 44 between thecorrugations 43 normally provides air spaces between the asbestos andthe bottom of the water container, which air spaces have insulatingvalue.

Intermediate its length the bottom of the water container is formed witha depression 45, andthe sole plate may be formed with a cooperatingdepression 46 to accommodate a thermostat 41. The thermostat isconnected in the circuit to the heating element 39 and comprises anadjustable contact member 48 and. a contact member 49 carried on the endof a bimetallic strip 50. rear end of the bimetallic strip 50 issupported between a block of porcelain 5| and a bridge 52. The bridge 52is preferably formed of aluminum and has attachment flanges 53 which aresecured by bolts 54 in direct contact with the bottom of the watercontainer.

With this arrangement the bimetallic strip 50 is effected directly byheatof conduction from the bottom of the'water container. In this formof the invention the contacts 48 and 49 of the thermostat are normallyin circuit-making position, as illustrated in Fig. 1. However, if duringuse the water in the reservoir becomes exhausted, the temperature of themetal forming the bottom of the water container will rise to such apoint as to cause opening of the thermostat and cutting-01f of thecurrent to the heating element 39. Thus there is no danger ofoverheating from lack of water, which might cause burning out of thegasket 32 and other damage to the iron.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 5, 6 and '7 of the drawings,the structure of the iron therein illustrated is generally similar tothat herein described in connection with the form of Fig. 1, andcorresponding partsare designated by the same reference numerals primed.In this form of the invention, however, the heating element sections 39'in the top of the sole plate are not covered by asbestos pressure plateswhich are squeezed between the heating element and the The assanse ingelement 39' into intimate contact with the sole plate, the upper surfaceor each metal pressure plate 55, however, being spaced from the bottomof the water container as at 56 to provide an insulating air space. Ythe air space 56 in lieu of the asbestos shown in the form of theinvention of Fig. 1, it is only necessary to obtain a proper fit betweenthe edges 51 of the water container and the sole plate, and theobtaining of a tight leakproof joint at said edges is simplified becausethe bottom of the water container does not have to exert pressure on apressure plate of asbestos or the like.

In this form or the invention the thermostat recess 45' in the bottom ofthe water container is enlarged to accommodate a special form ofthermostat 58. Said thermostat includes a metal arm 59 secured to theupper surface of the sole plate as at 60, which arm has an upwardlyextending part SI and a reversely bent, part 62. To the other end of thearm 59 there is pivoted at 63 one contact arm 64 of the thermostatcarrying a contact member 65. The other contact arm 66 is supported fromthe part 62 and carries a contact 61. An adjustment rod 68 extendsrotatably into an opening in the top of the recess 45 and has its lowerend threaded into the part .62. The rod 68 extends upwardly through thewater container and through the top of the cover and is surrounded by aprotecting sleeve 69, the lower end of which is threaded into the top ofthe container recess 45', and the upper end of which is in sealedconnection as at H with the opening in the cover. The sleeve 69therefore provides a Watertight shield for the rod 68; the upper end ofthe rod 68 has an operating handle 12 rigidlymounted thereon whichhandle has a pointer end 13 cooperable with indications on a dial "H.The dial may contain designations for various types of material, such asartificial silk and silk, requiring a relatively low heat; wool,requiring a medium heat; and linen and cotton requiring a relativelyhigh heat. When the operating rod 12 is turned inone direction it willengage the contact arm 65 to force the same downwardly toward thecontact 65. When the operating handle 72 i turned in the oppositedirection the lower end of the rod 68 will be threaded upwardly allowingthe contact arm 66 to spring back upwardly under its own tension.

This type of iron is suitable for either a dry ironing or for steampressing and has a 1,000 watt heating element, and the iron is speciallydesigned in conjunction with the thermostat to cause a correct amount ofsteam to be delivered for each sole plate temperature. If too much ofthe heat from the heating element 39' were permited to go to the waterreservoir, then too much steam would be delivered for a given sole platetemperature. The iron is, however, so worked out that the contactingareas 51 between the sole plate and the bottom of the water container aswell as the areas open for radiation bear such a relationship to theamount of insulating air space 55 that when the sole plate temperatureis between 250 F. to 280 F., and when the iron has started to steam, andwhen the iron contains approximately one pint of water, it will generatean amount of steam equivalent t -o the evaporation of not less thanthree ounces of water in one-half hour. When the sole plate temperatureis between 500 F. and 530 F., and when the iron has started to steam,and when the iron contains approximately one Due to the use or pint ofwater, it will generate an amount of steam equivalent to the evaporationof not more than twenty ounces in one-half hour. The above is assumingthat tests are made at approximately sea level conditions. When soleplate temperatures are between the above maximums and minimum to whichthe control handle for the thermostat has been set this will cause theevaporation of amounts of water somewhere between three ounces andtwenty ounces, depending upon the sole plate temperature setting.

This form of iron can, therefore, be used either with or without water,and the same thermostatically controlled heating element will maintainany desired sole plate temperature when the iron is being used dry andwill maintain any desired sole plate temperature when the iron is usedfor steaming and at the same time cause the delivery of just the rightamount of steam for each particular sole plate temperature.

In either form of the invention the steam is, of course, produced in theupper portion of the water container above the water level, and when asuillcient steam pressure is generated therein the steam will forceitself down into the steam pipe 28 or 28', into the sole plate recess 30or 30, and out of the steam vents 3| or 3| in the sole plate.

In both forms of the invention there are heel rest extensions 15 and 15'at the rear of the body and cooperating extensions 16 and I6 on thehandle whereby the iron may he stood on its rear end and used for thesteaming of hatsor other objects while so disposed. The position of thesteam pipe and steam dome in the forward portion of the iron, togetherwith the aluminum wool, inclined bafile 34, and cover ribs serve tomaintain the water in the rear portion 7 of the iron so that there is nodanger of the iron spitting water when it is standing on its end orwhile being used for pressing.

It is to be noted that in the form of the inventi'on in Fig. 5 thethermostat is in thermal contact with the sole plate rather than withthe water container, sothat the thermostat is responsive to sole platetemperatures. The balance obtained through the ratio between the amountof contact areas between the sole plate and the water container and theamount of insulated 1. Aniron comprising a base plate formed with steamperforations, a container for water above the base plate having a bottomthe lower surface of which is formed with elongated corrugations, aheating element on the base plate for heatin said base plate and forheating water in said container to produce steam, means for conductingsaid steam to the steam perforations of the base plate, a relativelysoft, fibrous pressure plate between the heating element and the bottomof the water container, and means for tightening the water container tothe base plate, portions of the upper surface of the pressure platebeing pressed into the recesses between corrugations in the bottomsurface of the water container.

2. An iron comprising a base plate formed with steam perforations, acontainer forming a reservoir for water above the base plate and havinga bottom and also having an opening in its top, metal wool in saidcontainer substantially filling the same, a cover for the top opening ofthe container having a recess on its inner side, a rib extendingtransversely of the cover in said recess a a bottom the lower surface ofwhich is formed which bears against the metal wool when the cover is inplace, the forward portion of the iron 1 having a steam space. means forheating water in the container to produce steam, means for conductingsteam from the steam space to the steam perforations of the base plate,said cover rib being positioned 'to bafile water which surges over thetop of the metal wool to protect the steam space from surging water.

3. An iron comprising a base plate having openings therein providingsteam outlets, a container above the base plate, there being a steamspace in an upper portion of said container, a duct leading from saidsteam space to the outlet openings of the base plate and having anelevated steam inlet end positioned in said steam space, means forheating water in said container to produce steam, and a transversebaffle rearwardly of the steam space and rearwardly of the inlet end ofthe steam duct and having a watertight connection with the sides andbottom of the container, said baffle terminating below the inlet end ofthe steam duct and blow the top of the container and dividing thecontainer into a front compartment and a rear water compartment, saidcontainer having a filling opening in the rear water compartment of asize to permit pouring by hand of a substantial quantity of water intothe Water compartment, the lower edge of the inner end of the openingbeing positioned below the top of the baffle whereby when the iron iswith projections and recesses, a heating element in the top recess ofthe base plate for heating said base plate and for heating water in saidcontainer to produce steam, means for conducting said steam to the steamperforations of the base plate, a relatively soft fibrous pressure platebetween the heating element and the bottom of the water container, andmeans for tightening the water container to the base plate to press thepressure plate against the heating element and the latter against thebase plate, portions of the upper surface of the pressure plate beingaccommodated in the recesses in the bottom surface of the watercontainer to compensate for inaccuracies in the fit between the baseplate and water container.

5. An iron comprising a base plate, a main body portion superimposed onsaid base plate and having the lower surface of its bottom formed withprojections and recesses, a heating element on the base plate, arelatively soft, fibrous pressure plate between the heating element andthe bottom of the main body portion, and means for tightening the mainbody portion to the base plate, portions of the upper surface of thepres-,

sure plate being pressed into the recesses in the bottom surface of themain body to compensate for inaccuracies in the fit between said bottomand the base plate.

EDWARD P. SCHREYER.

